FRESCOBALDI CUBED – “Conception” is the fourth in our series of albums featuring all of Girolamo Frescobaldi’s Toccatas, each played on three instruments: harpsichord, clavichord, organ (hence: “Frescobaldi CUBED”).

This album is called “CONCEPTION” and describes the journey from the conception of an early idea to its completion: Leonardo da Vinci’s early sketch (title page), contrasted with the completed painting “Epiphany” (CD in-tray), da Vinci’s painting on “Annunciation” (inside of cover) contrasted with his “Last Supper” (on CD), and two early Frescobaldi toccatas (primo libro, 1615) contrasted with two late ones (secondo libro, 1627). When listening, watch out for the dialogue between a powerful and wicked angel and Mary (Toccata IX, 1 libro), or the bells of Rome a-rhythmically overlaying themselves onto the main theme (Toccata XI, 1 libro – particularly powerful in the clavichord version, and in stark contrast to a dialogue between shepherds, one on a flute, the other one on a horn, in the version for organ), or the contrast between a detached heavenly figure (beginning and end of Toccata III, 2 libro) against the bickering of anxious disciples, who have just been told that “one of you will betray me”, and then the overpowering joy of epiphany in its final version (Toccata XI, 2 libro), with the initial drill imitating a triangle as it would have been used in Dvorak’s 9th symphony…